The Department of Immiption and Multhbd and Indigenous AffBlrs @MA) said today that it had detained a further six unlatil non-citizens and one person in breach of Thetis visa conditions oxx the l& two days, bringing the total to 80 in the ongoing crackdown on tiegal workers in the com~ction bdustzy.

St.&ffkm~ lXh4T.A located three South Koreans, two Cheese Nationals ad a Fijian v&o were in &x&-a&t tiafilly, and one Chinese national in breach of his visa cO&itionS. The SWm men WETC believed to be working tilegally intie bti@ indWry.

ne tbrecr. &ream were lotid at a Campsie residence, &e remaining four were located at a building site in Paddington.

Of the sven located, one had been working as a tier, gne as a gyprocker, one as a welder and four were working as builders labourers.

All seven mm have been transfewed to the, Villawood Immigration Detention Cents in Sydney.

The mup till remain in detention, wtile arrangements are m&de for their departure fa>m

Australia, as

required by law.

Earlier last week, DIMIA annnunced that 73 unlati non-citizens had been deta@d following a sties of compliance options aimed at targetting illegal workers in the buiMing in&x&y in the Sydney area.

Those detained included people from South Korea, the People’s Republic of China, the Phi~ip@nq Ireland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Ukraine.

The series of operations were

udertakm following a number of reports tirn IWWOUS sources about illegal workers in the construction industry. IXMIA takes all compla.ints m-hsly and fUy investigates all allegations.

1x1 the 2001-02 &uncial year the Dep&tnent located 17,307 overstayers and people breaching visa conditiom. This imludes people lawfully in Australia who were found working in breach of their visa conditions as well as pcqle who were rmlawI%Uy in the counw. The number of locations has increased significantly since 2000-01, when 14,238 overstayers and people breaching visa conditions were detained.

DIMIA officers make regulz~ visits to workj?laces in many pm of

Australia, such as restaurants, fm,

shops, offrces, factories and brothels, in an ~&x-t to detect and locate people who az in the country illegally or who are wc&irg tiegay. Dm!ILA may ~SCI issue warning notices to employers or l&our suppliers whd are found to have employed illegal work-.